It's not just what we're paying at the pumps, it's what we're paying, paying, paying for everything. The added cost of transportation is raising the prices of everything. Has anyone checked out the price of food? My local supermarket is charging $1 per pound for yams. How ridiculous is that? And the cost of eating out has gone through the roof. And we're not even touching on the cost of heating our homes this winter. We are paying through the nose for everything, and we're getting screwed left and right.

MC, I agree that we need to look into alternative energy sources. That's the only long-term solution. Unfortunately, the technology exists, but it is too far out of the reach of the average consumer. I know I posted here once that we looked into putting solar panels onto our roof. It was ridiculously expensive and it would take decades for us to get our money back. If it was more affordable, we would have done it in a heartbeat.

And what's wrong with making the energy-efficient hybrid automobiles more attractive economically? Why shouldn't the government be offering more rebates? These cars are also out of the reach of the average consumer.

I don't know all the answers. I wish I did. But steps need to be taken, because the middle class is being suffocated. I know we're used to being squeezed, but it's gone far beyond that in the last few years.